Summary:
Candidate #1: ChrisR’s
“Does anyone else regret having surgery? I do!”Strong statements in 2013 from the OP who went so far as to frustratingly state: “I feel surgery for G6 guys should be illegal. It is butchery in my opinion.” Led to many post of emotional support for OP, as well as added comments/examples from others. Revived in Sep-2017 on page 3, and now a contest-leading 5 pages long.
Candidate #2: Lotsahope’s
“Any regrets?”A popular choice from 2014 which has also endured the test of time, now with close to 5,500 views. Includes the 3 closely related comments by JohnT, PeterDisAbelard and Tall Allen about
how regret is often suppressed (even suggesting cognitive dissonance). Revitalized in Jan-2017 and now has more 2017 posts than 2014 posts; now an impressive 4 pages long.
Candidate #3: Tall Allen’s
”Decisional Regret”Actually submitted as a poll which attempted associate regret with treatment mode. Also included a questionnaire from a study on regret, which successfully triggered discussion. A number of the replies diverted down a rathole about
questionnaire questions about
educational attainment, and the previously demonstrated linkage to making treatment decisions one will regret less. An impressive 76 poll responses, but difficult to deduce anything meaningful because of the unsegmented entries.
Other strong past contenders in chronological order which might face today’s winner for the all-time best “regret” thread:
Tim G’s “Regrets about Prostate Surgery,” from 2008 – The Original Poster (OP) posted a link to the NYTimes article aptly titled, “Regrets After Prostate Surgery” which referenced a study on increasing rates of regret, and chastised urologists for understating risks & benefits
Pasayten’s “Interesting article: Surgery regrets, I want my prostate back,” from 2010 – OP posted link to the now famous Men’s Health article where the author recalls his efforts at pre-treatment due diligence, but slowly realizes he diligently explored treatment options, but was never enlightened (until later) that his favorable risk case never really needed treatment.
Gadget’s “Anyone regret surgery?,” from 2012 – OP had the rare Gleason 3+5 and was asking fellow G8s about their possible undertreatment regret
Pratoman’s “Regrets?,” from 2016 -- OP wanted to create a useful thread for newcomers to learn of regrets; nearly 40 replies which were overwhelmings about “slow down” and “educate yourself” capped of with the quote: “A decision made in haste sometimes takes a long time to own up to.”
Island time’s “Guilt,” from 2017 – Despite the slightly different thread title, the OP asks: “Has anyone else made mistakes that they regret?” and talks about his own anger in the treatment choice he made, saying “…the treatment made me sicker than the disease itself.”